Category Archives: Excursions

The Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana) is one of those very special Psittacidae that occur between coastal Brazil spanning west to Bolivia and Argentina. They are found in an area in the North East of Brazil, but they generally seem to occupy the extent of the Atlantic Rainforest.

No longer so common, we remember seeing them nesting in thick bamboo clumps but that was a while ago and before our wetlands were developed. Perhaps they are not fond of water bodies as they are now observed only on the rain shadow side of the Serra do Mar mountain range.

We like to show these friendly yet shy birds to visitors on the Sumidouro trail in search of other endemics such as the Three-toed Jacamar and Serra Antwren. These are all drier region species and one can see these wonderful Macaws on tall Imperial Palms typically chatting together in what appears profound chitchat!

Atlantic rainforest endemic species can be found all along the cobbled road that climbs to 2230m above sea level. This is home of the ultra-rare Grey-winged Cotinga (Tijuca condita) found only on trees tops of this mountain range, but probably the eeriest call heard is that of the Black-and-Gold Cotinga (Tijuca atra) a high pitched lonely whistle mixing in the mist.

You can see the Large-tailed Antshrike (Mackenziaena leachii) hopping in the undergrowth as it comes to investigate the visitor. As it reveals his speckled black plumage, it is well camouflaged for such a large bird.

Another rare bird to be found in the area is the Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin (Neopelma chrysolophum).

Whilst this species may not be as quite as flamboyant in colour as many of its Manakin ‘cousins’, its series of random short resonant notes and wonderful prominent yellow crest makes this yet another truly enigmatic species.

The higher altitude of Pico de Caledonia is a marvellous place to visit all year round. However, during our summers when the lowlands can sometimes be hot and humid the altitude here brings a fresh and cooler feel.

The Brazilian Anthrush (Chamaeza ruficauda) has also been known as Rufous-tailed Antthrush, it has also previously been confused with Cryptic Antthrush (C. meruloides) but the song differs. See here for further details.

It is a relatively common bird locally, but a restricted-range species and can be difficult to locate until it sings. It occurs in protected areas, such as Serra dos Órgãos National Park, which is a lovely day trip out from REGUA.

The call of this bird is an unmistakable ascending stanza that evokes the high altitude mist-laid forests which they inhabit.

I was delighted to hear one calling recently at Macae de Cima and decided to follow it.

After only a few minutes could I see an adult guarding the entrance of its nest, these being hollows in tree trunks which can be quite deep. Standing back and with a zoom lens I was able to get a photograph or two.

Let’s hope they are successful in breeding their young and continue their guard of the forests.

On 23 March, our bird guide Cirilo Vieira was guiding two guests David Wilcove and Tim Treuer from Princeton University at Pico da Caledônia who were keen to see the rare Grey-winged Cotinga Tijuca condita found in the elfin forest around the top of the mountain. Unfortunately they could only hear the cotinga calling, but then imagine their surprise when they caught sight of an Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus perched on a bare branch close to the road (just a few hundred metres from the checkpoint at the start of of the starts to the summit). David had been looking for this bird for 30 years and sighed in disbelief when he realized what it was!

Orange-breasted Falcon is very similar in appearance to the much more common and widespread Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis. Identification can be difficult, but there are some key identification features if seen well. Structurally, Orange-breasted Falcon is larger and bulkier than Bat Falcon and with a larger head and slightly shorter graduated tail. The feet are also noticeably larger and are yellow to greenish-yellow compared to the bright orange-yellow feet of Bat Falcon, and the bill is significantly heavier. Orange-breasted Falcon has blackish upperparts that contrast very little with the blackish head, whereas across much of it’s range, Bat Falcon generally has paler greyish upperparts that contrast with the blackish head.

There are several supporting identification features, that while not diagnostic, are also useful. In Orange-breasted Falcon the white throat is bordered by an orange breast (above the black ‘vest’ on the belly) and neck sides, whereas in most Bat Falcons the white throat contrasts strongly with the black vest with little or no orange or buff on the breast (there are some exceptions though so this alone is not a reliable identification feature). Also, the whitish barring on the black vest is coarser with an orange wash on Orange-breasted Falcon compared to Bat Falcon that usually shows faint narrow whitish barring on the vest.

Guilherme Serpa informs us that this is only the second sighting of Orange-breasted Falcon for Rio de Janeiro state – an incredible record! Intriguingly, Adilei has seen a falcon here in the past that he assumed was Bat Falcon and Nicholas has photographs of a falcon taken nearby on Pico da Caledônia, again presumed Bat Falcon at the time. We will be checking these photos to double check the identification.

The following day another group from the lodge visiting Pico da Caledônia failed to relocate the bird, but hopefully it will be seen again. Very well done to David Wilcove for an excellent state find and for taking an excellent set of photographs.

We are well into the austral spring and the weather in October has been rather mixed, with hot temperatures much rainfall, including a couple of days of full rain. Many bird species have now moved to higher, cooler elevations for the spring and summer, whilst activity around the wetland and lodge garden is increasing as more species are breeding.

On the reserve, the wetland continues to provide excellent birding opportunities with an amazing four Sungrebe now being reported – surely a record count for Rio de Janeiro state? Also at the wetland, Boat-billed Heron, Greenish Eleania (very scarce in Rio de Janeiro state), Uniform Crake, Russet-crowned Crake, Rufous-sided Crake, Pauraque and Red-cowled Cardinal (scarce at the wetland nowadays). The adjacent Brown Trail continues to bring in yet more forest interior species, with White-bibbed Antbird and Scaled Antbird making appearances, along with the more usual Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and Tawny-browed Owl.

On the Grey Trail another of REGUA’s specialities, Russet-winged Spadebill, was seen along with Salvadori’s Antwren, Buff-bellied Puffbird and Least Pygmy-Owl, On the 4×4 Trail the very rarely encountered Tufted Antshrike was heard but not seen, and nearby a Bare-throated Bellbird seen on the area planted two years ago near the Guapiaçu river.

At the other end of the reserve on the Waldenoor Trail, another Tufted Antshrike was heard, as was Salvadori’s Antwren, but 2 male Frilled Coquette, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, White-throated Woodcreeper and Spot-billed Toucanet were amongst the birds seen.

The sharp-eyed among you will have noticed that our news post about a Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis seen at Cabo Frio on 16 October has been removed. Well, there is an exciting reason for this – the bird has been correctly re-identified as an Andean Flamingo Phoenicoparrus andinus, and the first record for Rio de Janeiro state!

Initially thought to be a Chilean Flamingo, thankfully Alan Martin was able to take a few photos and it was only after subsequently checking the photos a few days later that the true identity of the bird became clear. News of the bird was put out and a major twitch (in Brazilian terms) ensewed, with several local birders making the trip to Cabo Frio to see it. It was still present on 6 November and photos from many photographers can be seen on WikiAves.

Andean Flamingo is the scarcest flamingo species, mostly restricted to the salt lakes of the altiplano of southern Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and north-west Argentina. They are altitudinal migrants, moving to lower elevations for the winter, and vagrants have made as far as Buenos Aires province in Argentina, the Brazilian Amazon, and Brazil’s southern coast, where flocks of up to 32 individuals together have been found. The Cabo Frio bird is by far the most easterly occurrence of this species.

Very well done to Alan Martin and the Limosa birding group for finding and photographing the bird, and to Gabriel Mello for re-identifying the bird.

REGUA is looking at offering a slightly different off-reserve excursion to its lodge visitors in the future. Specialities of another rare Atlantic Forest habitat – mangroves.

The mangroves at the back of the Guanabara Bay are quite inaccessible unless one organises a small boat to negotiate the straightened channels. Led by the birding twins, Daniel and Gabriel Mello, members of the Rio de Janeiro Bird Club (COA) converged on the quay at seven in the morning to board three boats and search for species known specifically from this habitat.

Crested Doradito is a fairly widespread species but difficult to see as it is restricted to marshy inaccessible areas. Spectacled Tyrant is known mainly from the south of Brazil but migrates to Rio de Janeiro for the winter, so we were all very pleased to see it. Rusty-collared Seedeater is fairly widespread along the Atlantic Forest but is difficult to see at REGUA. The excellent views and interesting habitat make it an ideal trip for visitors and REGUA is excited to be able to offer this new trip in the near future.